Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A: Healthy Tips

Although processed fast food might not be the healthiest choice, Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A has healthier options for a variety of dietary requirements, including vegetarian, low-calorie, low-carb, low-salt, and keto.

You might be wondering if you can still eat at fast food restaurants if you’re trying to eat healthy.

Fast food, which is typically very processed food, isn’t exactly known for being healthy. On the other hand, a lot of fast-food establishments have come a long way in offering healthier options on their menus.

Chick-fil-A is one instance of this. This well-known fast-food chain is well-known for its waffle fries and fried chicken sandwiches, but its menu also shockingly offers a surprising number of fresher options.

Here are some tips for choosing healthier options at Chick-fil-A.

Sandwiches

Most people undoubtedly associate Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A: Healthy Tips with the iconic Chicken Sandwich, which consists of a fried chicken breast fillet with pickles served on toasted white bread.

The sandwich is available in multiple varieties from the brand, including the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and the Regular and Spicy Deluxe Sandwiches. These are cheese, tomato, and lettuce.

These sandwiches are heavy in fat (from the fried chicken) and carbohydrates (from the bun), with each serving ranging from 440 to 550 calories (1).

Nonetheless, Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A does have a few selections with fewer calories or fat.

On a multigrain baguette, the Grilled Chicken Sandwich is topped with lettuce and tomato. With 320 calories, it has a marginally lower fat content. But the 520 calories in the Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich with extra cheese and bacon

Additionally, Chick-fil-A sells a Cool Wrap made of flaxseed flatbread, grilled chicken breast, lettuce, and shredded cheese. It has 350 calories without dipping sauce (1). 

Chicken

Famous for its flavorful chicken, Chick-fil-A uses a proprietary combination of seasonings.

The company sells Chick-n-Strips, Grilled Nuggets, and Chicken Nuggets. Breaded and fried are both the strips and ordinary nuggets.

The protein levels of the fried and grilled alternatives are roughly comparable. But because of the breading and the oil they’re cooked in, the fried options include more calories, fat, and refined carbohydrates.

For instance, the 8-count Grilled Nuggets have 130 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 1 gram of carbohydrates, compared to 250 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 11 grams of carbohydrates in the Chicken Nuggets.

The sauce you select for Chick-fil-A’s chicken is another thing to think about. Although there is a large assortment at the restaurant, certain sauces include higher levels of fat, sugar, or both. Among the sauce selections with fewer calories from fat and sugar are the following (1):

• Flavorful Buffalo Sauce
• Sriracha Sauce, Sweet and Spicy
• BBQ Sauce with Honey Roasted Flavor
• BBQ Sauce

Salads

There are numerous salads available at Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A. If you’re searching for a nutritious dinner at Chick-fil-A, these are usually your best options.

The salad options include:

• Lemon Kale Caesar Salad
• Cobb Salad
• Spicy Southwest Salad
• Market Salad

You can have grilled, fried, or vegetarian options for each of these salads with no chicken.

Similar to its assortment of sauces, Chick-fil-A has a remarkable collection of salad dressings. The creamy dressings typically have higher fat and calorie content. Nevertheless, a lot of the other choices are overly sweet.

Among these dressings heavy in sugar are:

• Light Balsamic
• Zesty Apple Cider
• Fat-Free Honey Mustard

However, the Light Italian Dressing contains only 25 calories per serving and is lower in sugar than other options.

Sides

Waffle fries are the most popular side dish at Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A. Like most fast-food French fries, these are heavy in fat, calories, and carbohydrates.

Similarly, the macaroni and cheese side dish has a lot of fat, calories, and carbohydrates from the cheese sauce and pasta.

If you’re attempting to eat more healthfully, there are a few additional sides that the restaurant has to offer that might be a better option. Among them are:

• Fruit Cup
• Side Salad
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Kale Crunch Side
• Greek Yogurt Parfait
• Buddy Fruits Apple Sauce

Because some dishes might be better suited to your nutritional needs than others, you might want to check the nutrition facts for the ones you’re interested in.

For instance, the Greek Yogurt Parfait has roughly the same amount of sugar as several of the menu’s desserts, although having 13 grams of protein, and the Chicken Noodle Soup has a lot of salt.

As an alternative to French fries, you can instead choose waffle potato chips. These have around half the calories of a medium order of Chick-fil-A fries, although they are still fried.

Treat

Milkshakes, ice cream, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, frozen coffees, and lemonades are all part of the Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A’s Treats menu.

These might not be the greatest options because of their high sugar, fat, and calorie content. If you’re watching your consumption of calories, fat, or sugar, think about consuming them only sometimes.

Breakfast

Some chicken options are available on Chick-fil-A’s morning menu. Two such options are the Chicken Biscuit and Chick-n-Minis, which are little biscuits topped with chicken nuggets.

On the other hand, the Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A menu also offers some more conventional breakfast choices, such as English muffins and biscuits topped with cheese, eggs, and bacon or sausage. Additionally, the restaurant serves a Hash Brown Scramble Bowl and a Hash Brown Scramble Burrito.

These selections are high in calories from fat and refined carbohydrates, but they are also high in protein from chicken, sausage, and eggs.

The Egg White Grill, which consists of grilled chicken, egg whites, and cheese on a toasted English muffin, is a lighter choice.

Options For Different Dietary Needs

Thankfully, a variety of dietary requirements can be satisfied by the Chick-fil-A menu, including vegetarian, low-sodium, low-carb (keto), and low-calorie options.

Low calorie

Each serving of the entrée items listed below has less than 400 calories: 

• Egg White Grill (290 calories)
• Chick-n-Minis (360 calories)
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich (320 calories)
• 8-count or 12-count Nuggets (250 or 380 calories)
• 8-count or 12-count Grilled Nuggets (130 or 200 calories)
• 3-count Chick-n-Strips (310 calories)
• Cool Wrap (350 calories)
• Bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup (255 calories)

Low carb

The Nutrition Facts Chick-fil-A Low-carb, or keto, at Chick-fil-A is surprisingly simple. There are two grams of total carbohydrates in the 12-count Grilled Nuggets compared to just one gram in the 8-count.

Choose a side salad with avocado lime ranch dressing for 16 grams of carbohydrates, or add a side of crunchy Kale for an additional 8 grams. Take out the Crispy Red Bell Peppers and tomatoes from the brand to further reduce the carbohydrates.

Choosing grilled chicken and omitting the tomatoes from any salad makes it effortlessly keto-friendly. corn, black beans, and crispy red bell peppers Blueberries, strawberries, apples, granola, and seasoned tortilla strips 

The dipping sauces and dressings do frequently have additional sugar, so keep that in mind. Creamy sauces and dressings are a better option for low-carb and keto diets even though they have more calories.

If you’re following a keto or low-carb diet, you might want to stay away from the following Chick-fil-A dressings and sauces.

• Barbecue Sauce
• Chick-fil-A Sauce
• Honey Mustard Sauce
• Polynesian Sauce
• Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Sauce
• Fat-Free Honey Mustard Dressing
• Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
• Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing

Is Chick-fil-A Healthy?

When it comes to dietary requirements, Chick-fil-A has a greater variety of healthier options than many other fast-food restaurants, including low-calorie, low-carb keto, vegetarian, and low-sodium options.

Furthermore, chicken is a great source of protein. The fact that every dish on Chick-fil-A’s chicken-focused menu offers at least 15 grams of protein per serving, and frequently much more, is one of the restaurant chain’s many advantages.

In addition to aiding in the maintenance and growth of muscles, protein also makes you feel fuller. This is a result of the fact that it digests more slowly than carbs.

Whatever the nutritional value of the food Chick-fil-A offers, it’s crucial to keep in mind that it’s all heavily processed. Additives are even used in the restaurant’s grilled chicken.

Whole foods seem to be better for your health than highly processed food, regardless of the nutrients they contain. Because of this, it’s crucial to limit your consumption of Chick-fil-A rather than making it a staple of your diet.

In summary

Chick-fil-A offers several lighter options on its menu, including salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, grilled nuggets, and a variety of side dishes, even though its famous chicken sandwich and French fries might not be the healthiest choice.

Better yet, Chick-fil-A’s menu offers options for vegetarians and those following low-sodium, low-carb, low-calorie diets.

However, since Chick-fil-A is still heavily processed, you should only sometimes eat it rather than making it a regular part of your diet.